Tang riddles

On the twenty-third day of the first lunar month, in the small courtyard of Shen's family, Hutuo and Bluebird were doing the final packing work.The trip this time was on a business trip. It stands to reason that irrelevant persons are not allowed to follow the investigation team.However, Shen Jin's entourage was logical. She did not travel as an investigative official sent by the imperial court, but as a private person, under the banner of going to Jiangling for business.It's just that the chosen time happened to coincide with the investigation team, so they went with the "brother".Shen Sui made a special report on this, and his superiors approved it, and all his colleagues were also informed of the news.

Deep in Shen Sui's heart, he naturally didn't want Shen Jin to run around with him.However, Shen Jin didn't want to be separated from Shen Sui. For her, wherever her sister went, she would follow her. The separation between the two made her extremely insecure.This is the tacit understanding that the two sisters have formed over the years.As early as many years ago, Shen Sui made an oath not to leave half a step away from his sister.This oath has never been broken.

Keeping everything simple is the first principle of this trip.Apart from Shen Sui and Shen Jin, only two servants, Hu Tuo and Blue Robin, followed.Bluebirds also have to dress up as men, and cannot show themselves as women.The rest of the people still stayed in Chang'an City, and Xuan Weizi temporarily took over the position of head and deputy sect master and presided over the work.The current situation in Chang'an City is still unstable, especially Li Jinyue, Princess of Jin, which worries Shen Sui the most.

Apart from these, the one Shen Sui couldn't let go of the most was Zhang Ruohan.It was less than a month after returning to Chang'an, and she had to go out again, and she was very reluctant in her heart.However, with the emperor's life in her hands, she had no choice but to obey.It will be at least two months before I can go back, and I am afraid that it will be late spring when I return.I don't know if there is still time to break a peach branch and decorate her window pane.

He was about to set off early in the morning, but the lights in Shen Sui's study room stayed on until the middle of the night.She was doing the last job before her departure - sorting out the old files borrowed from the warehouse of Dali Temple.These files are not originals, but hand-copied backups, which are specially borrowed for Dali Temple officials or other officials with special approval.A large number of files are kept in the warehouse of Dali Temple, which records all the cases handled by Dali Temple since the establishment of the Tang Dynasty.

After receiving the news of the disappearance of Zhu Yuanmao, the governor of Jingzhou, the day before, she borrowed all the files related to Jiangling, read and screened them, and finally let her find an old case.In her memory, many years ago, there seemed to be a very famous case of disappearance in Jiangling. The five members of Sima Zhangyue's family in Jiangling Prefecture at that time also disappeared while swimming in the river. It was later found that they accidentally fell into the water and died. A few days later , the bodies of Zhang Yue, his wife, and his sister-in-law were found stranded on the downstream tidal flats, but the bodies of Zhang Yue's two children have not been found so far.

Now she has found the case files that recorded the case back then. According to the records in the case files, it happened in late spring and April 14 years ago, when the river was flooded with continuous rain.According to a report by Cao Canjun, the law of Jiangling Prefecture at that time, Zhang Yue accompanied his wife to visit his natal family, but an accident happened on the way back.Dali Temple's reply did not question the conclusion of the investigation, and finally closed the case according to this result.

Shen Sui spread out a map of the Yangtze River and looked at it carefully.According to records, Zhang Yue's wife is from Kipzhou. They returned to Jiangling by boat from Kipzhou. shoal.But what happened at that time is now unknown.

According to the news sent back by Jingnan Jiedu envoy the day before, the river basin where Zhu Yuanmao disappeared was the upper reaches of Xiling Gorge, the section of Wu Gorge.There is already the land of Bashu.It is said that Zhu Yuanmao made a detour to Yizhou on his way back from Chang'an for a pilgrimage to meet an old friend. On the day of Shangyuan, the old friend took a boat with him and sent him down the river.When Zhu Yuanmao disappeared, his old friend was on board.The bad thing is that this old friend is the former prime minister who is now forced to resign and travel abroad—Zhang Shuo Zhang Daoji.

Shen Sui guessed that Zhu Yuanmao's disappearance might not be a big deal to the saint, but Zhang Daoji was involved, which gave him a headache.Although Zhang Shuo has been dismissed from office, he is undoubtedly still the current leader of the literary world, a bachelor of Jixian Temple, who holds the pen and the right to speak.The sage respected him very much and never wanted to see him involved in such a case.That's why he was so anxious, and urged the third division to investigate the case quickly.

Although the case of Zhang Yue in Xiazhou 14 years ago and the case of Zhu Yuanmao in Wuxia now, there seems to be no other connection except that both officials disappeared on a Yangtze River cruise ship.The Yangtze River is naturally dangerous. Every year, many boats capsize or unfortunately fall into the water, which is too normal.But Shen Sui always felt that there seemed to be some kind of connection between these two cases, but now she didn't have a clue, so she could only put it on hold.

In addition, last year's murder case of Zhu Yuanmao's cousin was related to the disappearance of Zhu Yuanmao himself?The investigation has not yet been carried out, Shen Sui does not want to make wild guesses, but she feels that she needs to be mentally prepared.This case may be complicated.

On the second day, that is, the twenty-fourth day of the first lunar month, in the early morning, the gate of the workshop just opened.Shen Sui's chariot and horses left the square gate and headed west all the way to the Golden Light Gate.The bluebird was driving the carriage, and Shen Jin was in the carriage, while Shen Sui and Hutuo led the way on horseback.Shen Sui is no stranger to the other officials of the Second Division who accompanied him this time.The Ministry of Criminal Justice sent Liu Yucheng who had just been promoted to Yuanwailang, while Yushitai sent a mature, intelligent and keen technical official—Pei Yaoqing and Pei Huanzhi.He had just been transferred back to the central government from his position as the governor of Jeju, and held the dual positions of the household department and the Yushitai.During this trip, in addition to investigating the case, he also took the task of inspecting the southern waterways and monitoring water transportation.

Several people made an appointment to meet at the gate of Jinguangmen and set off together.Leaving Chang'an from Jinguangmen, first go to Liangzhou on the west road in Shannan, then transfer to Lizhou from Liangzhou, then board a boat from Lizhou, go down the Jialing River, enter the Yangtze River, and take the Kuizhou Wu Gorge where the incident happened.It is believed that the governor of Kuizhou who governs the Wu Gorge has already started a full-line salvage search on the shore of the Wu Gorge, and the governor of Yuzhou upstream and the governor of Guizhou downstream have sent people to assist with all their strength.Jingnan Jiedushi, Jingzhou Metropolitan Governor's Mansion, Yizhou Metropolitan Governor's Mansion and other relevant higher-level government offices also sent additional manpower to supervise this matter.Therefore, the first destination of the investigation team of the special envoy of the third division was Kuizhou Mansion, which was the headquarters of the case.

When Shen Sui's carriage and horses drove to the outside of Liquanfang, the sharp-eyed Shen Sui suddenly saw a carriage waiting at the corner of the crossing.Shen Sui knew the two drivers sitting on the shaft of the car, they were the blind girl Yuan Qianhe and Zhang Ruohan's personal maid Wu Ya who had followed her for many days.

Shen Sui's heart skipped a beat, and then his heart began to beat uncontrollably.She blinked, calmed down, pretended not to see the carriage, and continued to drive forward.It was still early, Chang'an Avenue was empty, there were not many people coming and going, the only carriages were the four-wheeled carriage on Shen Sui's side, and the two-wheeled umbrella-covered carriage waiting at the crossing.

As soon as Shen Sui's carriage passed by, she heard the two-wheeled umbrella carriage following behind her.On the empty street, one can hear the hooves of horses one after the other, and the sound of wheels pressing against the bluestone ground.

"Da Lang..." Hu Tuo also noticed the carriage behind him, and couldn't help calling Shen Sui in a low voice.

"Don't look back, don't worry about it so much." Shen Sui replied in a low voice.

"Here."

Liquanfang was not far from Jinguangmen, the carriage drove not long before they arrived at the city gate, Shen Sui saw two other carriages waiting at the gate at a glance, they were also lightly dressed, with few servants, no ostentation.Two officials in round collar gowns and hoods were standing beside the carriage and talking.It was Liu Yucheng and Pei Yaoqing.

Shen Sui got off his horse, stepped forward to greet the two officials.Shen Sui and Liu Yucheng were old acquaintances, but it was the first time they met Pei Yaoqing, even though they had heard each other's names before.

"Brother Bozhao, you are so handsome and radiant." Pei Yaoqing praised while stroking his beard with a smile.

"Pei's servant has a great reputation, and the servant is also a jade tree and a jade flower, with a graceful face." Shen Sui laughed.Pei Yaoqing is currently the servant of the household department and the supervisory censor, and it is very appropriate to call him "Pei Shilang".

"Hahahaha, Brother Bozhao can really talk." Pei Yaoqing, who was born in the Pei family in Hedong, is indeed tall and handsome. Although he is over fifty, he does not look old at all, with a long beard and chest, and he is full of energy.

The business is urgent, and the three of them don't talk nonsense.After exchanging greetings, seeing the sky clear and clear, they got on their horses and rode out of the city for inspection.

Shen Sui deliberately stayed at the end, keeping some attention behind him, and saw the two-wheeled canopy carriage, also handed over the inspection, and left the city smoothly.She frowned, and whispered in her heart.

Shen Sui didn't expect that Zhang Ruohan would follow her out of the city, she just thought that she met Zhang Ruohan by chance, at most she imagined that Zhang Ruohan came to see her off.Shen Sui suddenly remembered that a few days ago, there was news that Wu Ya had traveled to Qinglong Temple and Princess Jin's Mansion in one day, apparently to deliver a letter.At that time, she was a little puzzled, how could Zhang Ruohan send Wu Ya to deliver the letter?That's all for Qinglong Temple, and it was actually sent to the Princess of Jin's mansion.

Could it be... Shen Sui suddenly thought of a certain possibility, if her guess is true, then it's not surprising that Zhang Ruohan would leave the city so smoothly.She smiled wryly in her heart, not knowing whether to be happy or anxious.Why is this woman so sensitive, and now she is following her so closely, how can she deal with herself in front of these colleagues?

Shen Sui winked at Hutuo, and Hutuo understood, and stared behind Shen Sui.Shen Sui cheered himself up, rode his horse forward, and walked side by side with Liu Yucheng and Pei Yaoqing, and the three chatted.

"Brother Bozhao, this carriage of yours is really special. Where was it made?" Pei Yaoqing liked this kind of carpentry. When he saw the Shen family's carriage, he was very surprised. He held back for a while, and finally asked. .

Shen Sui knew that he would ask this question, and said with a smile: "Shen Mou likes to think about these things in his free time. This carriage is a clumsy work of a certain person."

"Brother Bozhao made it by himself!" Pei Yaoqing was astonished, and immediately asked, "Few people use a four-wheeled carriage, don't you think it's too heavy?" Pei Yaoqing asked the key point.

"I'm ashamed, brother-in-law is inconvenient to move. Every time I go out, I need to take a carriage. For her comfort, I can only give up the lightness and lightness, and choose a four-wheeled vehicle for stability. Fortunately, Shen has done a lot of work on the axles, bogies, and wheels. Some improvements have been made, and after testing, it can adapt to most terrains."

"What a genius!" Pei Yaoqing's eyes sparkled, "Brother Bozhao is really ingenious and talented, and Mr. Pei sighs to himself."

"Pei Shilang is overrated." Shen Sui hurriedly shook his head.

Liu Yucheng was listening at a loss, not knowing what they were talking about.But at least he understood the word "Master", and couldn't help being a little contemptuous. Why do these two people like these strange skills?This is an unfashionable business.However, he is a deep person, and such emotions will not be expressed on the surface.

Knowing that Liu Yucheng didn't understand and didn't like these things, Shen Sui quickly changed the topic.They came out to handle the case together, so naturally they talked about the current case of the disappearance of the governor.

"Brother Bo Zhao, have you read the case details sent by Jingnan Jiedu envoy?" Liu Yucheng asked Shen Sui.

Shen Sui nodded.

"What do Brother Bozhao think of this case?"

"I haven't seen the scene of the crime yet, so I really can't jump to conclusions. According to my humble opinion, maybe this case is a bit strange."

"How to say?" Pei Yaoqing asked curiously.

Shen Sui replied: "Last year, Zhu Yuanmao's cousin, Lu Zixiu's family was brutally murdered. The case was very tragic, and the murderer has never been caught. Now, Zhu Yuanmao himself disappeared while traveling in the river. I privately think that maybe it is not simple."

"Oh? And this." Pei Yaoqing frowned.

"I've heard about this case. The Ministry of Criminal Justice and Dali Temple had a special discussion on this case, but there was no conclusion. Brother Bozhao's predecessor also went to investigate the crime in person, but there was no result. In the end, it could only be A headless case." Liu Yucheng sat on the horse and said shaking.

Pei Yaoqing was mature and prudent, she pondered for a while, and did not express her opinion.Liu Yucheng continued to laugh with Shen Sui:

"I heard that Brother Bo Zhao was in Dali Temple and within ten days he processed three months' worth of case files. This matter was reported to the Ministry of Criminal Justice. Our Shang Shugong repeatedly praised you for your ability and regretted why the sage didn't transfer you to our Ministry of Criminal Justice. "

"Hey, what's the point of Brother Yucheng. Wang Shangshu has you, but he is much better than me. Your more than ten years of judicial experience is much richer than that of XX, and XX's small troubles can't make it to the stage." Shen Sui Hastily said.

"Brother Bozhao, don't arrange for X, X is really not as good as you, the Charity case is really a stroke of genius, you have helped us a lot." Liu Yucheng's words were somewhat sincere.

"It's just a coincidence, how can it go so smoothly every time. I'm afraid I won't be able to survive in the future, and I will show my feet." Shen Sui joked.

"Hahaha, brother Bozhao, you have to show Liu some of your feet. When he returns to the Ministry of Punishment, you will have something to talk about." Liu Yucheng was happy.

Chatting all the way here, Shen Sui always distracted half of his attention to the rear, somewhat absent-minded.After traveling like this for half a day, I found a roadside shop for food at noon.Because there was a horse-drawn carriage, the journey was not too fast. The group of people had still traveled [-] miles in Xianyangyuan, and it was still more than half a day away from the first stop in Hu (hù) County, and it was estimated that they would not arrive until tonight.

As soon as he got off the horse and took his seat, Shen Sui saw that the two-wheeled umbrella carriage behind him had stopped, the curtain was lifted, Wu Ya jumped down, and then supported Zhang Ruohan, who was dressed in white and wearing a veiled hat, to get out of the carriage .

"I've always noticed that there is a car following us, all the way in the same direction. I didn't expect that there was a woman in the car. It's strange. This weak man, where is he going?" Pei Yaoqing asked .

Liu Yucheng's eyes widened, and he said in surprise:

"Isn't that... the third wife of the Zhang family?"

Shen Sui thumped in his heart, secretly thought it was bad, I'm afraid, he couldn't avoid it.

The author has something to say: During the Ching Ming Festival, there will be three consecutive updates, and there may be an additional chapter tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.

From this chapter, we enter the second volume. Regarding this chapter, there are two places to mention, the first is about the four-wheeled carriage.

1. I saw a lot of comments on the Internet, saying that the ancient Chinese did not use four-wheeled carriages because they couldn't make them and because they couldn't solve the problem of steering.It is said that the ancient Chinese did not understand bearings and could not manufacture bogies.It is said that Chinese mechanical technology lags behind the West, and the ancestors were not good at solving such problems by nature.

I want to say that this speech is really too level-headed.Do you know that during the Shang and Zhou dynasties in China, there were gear bearings?For the problem of the steering of the four-wheeled carriage, it was too childish for the ancestors.Moreover, the steering problem of the four-wheeled carriage depends not on the bearings, but on the width of the carriage and the width of the road.The carriage is originally driven by horses to turn, and under the condition that there is no restriction on the track, turning is not a problem.

The reason why the ancients did not like to use four-wheeled carriages is related to Chinese cultural heritage, because Chinese carriages were developed from chariots.In addition, it is also related to the topography of China's mountains and rivers. In ancient times, the rivers were more lush than now, the land was muddy, and the four-wheeled carriage was heavy and easy to sink into the mud, but it was not as flexible as the two-wheeled carriage.Compared with the terrain of Yimapingchuan in Europe, there is a big difference.

However, there were four-wheeled carriages in ancient times, such as carriages for transporting bulk goods and livestock, or large larches for royal ostentation, all of which had four or even six wheels.So don't trust some self-deprecating remarks on the Internet.

2. Regarding the question of whether Qianhe is blind and can drive a carriage.

This question depends on where the carriage is driven.The place where Qianhe drove before was in Chang'an City.The streets of Chang'an City are wide and regular, and the traffic flow is orderly. Qianhe is too familiar with Chang'an City. Coupled with her keen sense of hearing and spatial imagination, this is "true, you can walk with your eyes closed". Ordinary people can't imagine the world of the blind. .It is not a problem for her to drive alone in Chang'an City.Previously, she rode alone and ran errands for Zhang Ruohan, relying on her horse. The so-called old horse knows the way, her horse is not an ordinary horse, it has been trained for many years.Moreover, she has a hundred ways to know the road, such as finding a caravan to follow, and all problems can be solved.

Now, she wanted to drive a carriage out of Chang'an to an unfamiliar place, so You Wu Ya sat beside her and assisted her in driving.

PS: Pei Yaoqing, Pei Huanzhi, was also the prime minister of Xuanzong's first dynasty. His greatest achievement was the regulation of water transportation.